Free Introductory SOLIDWORKS Self-Paced Tutorials

New to CAD (Computer-Aided Design)?  Enrolled in the SOLIDWORKS Essentials class?  Or, looking to take advantage of advanced functionality of SOLIDWORKS?  Either way, here is a great way to prepare for using SOLIDWORKS, and optimize your learning experience if you’re taking the Essentials class.  If you’ve used CAD before, then scroll down past this next paragraph.  Otherwise, keep reading:

A common scenario we see often is one that plagues first-time CAD users:  2D sketching.  So fundamental to a 3D model, and yet sketching is not so easy when it’s our first time!  An Essentials class will typically dive into sketching on the first day, and we find that students may have a more satisfying learning experience if they are already somewhat familiar with basic sketching techniques.  A common temptation is to perform the same steps as the instructor through the case studies, but students who are new to CAD often get tripped up if having never sketched in CAD before.  To overcome this obstacle, we recommend the following:

1. SOLIDWORKS includes self-paced Tutorials!  To access, run SOLIDWORKS and go to Help > SOLIDWORKS Tutorials.  In there, you’ll find a wealth of step-by-step guided lessons that range from basic part modeling through to advanced stuff such as CSWP (Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional – click this link!) exam preparation, Sheet Metal, 3D Sketching (very useful for Weldments!), and SO much more.

Accessing SOLIDWORKS Tutorials

2. Another great resource for self-paced learning are the online tutorials on my.solidworks.com  We highly encourage you to check these out as well, for various reasons such as that they include video guidance to demonstrate the steps.

Now you know how to learn much at your own pace, and for free!  So get out there and rock!  🙂